Courting Of Twain Musical Is Dependent On Its Cost

September 28, 1995|By MIKE SWIFT; Courant Staff Writer

The producers of a musical commemorating the life and literature of Mark Twain have no doubts -- they want to bring the show to the state armory in Hartford and use it to lure tourists from Europe and across the country.

``Hartford is very definitely the place we want to be,'' said William P. Perry, executive producer of ``Mark Twain -- The Musical!''

And Hartford definitely wants Mark Twain.

``It sort of fills the gap in the summer,'' when the Hartford Civic Center is dark many nights, said Catherine Ladd, executive director of the Greater Hartford Tourism District. That, she said, ``is something we desperately need.''

But there's a major question to answer before tour buses of European tourists roll up Broad Street for the Twain musical's debut next July. How much will it cost to relocate the show from Elmira, N.Y., to the armory?

The show's sets and props would have to be moved to Hartford, and new sets, such as a model of Twain's house in the city, would have to be built. Another problem is that the main space in the 1909 armory does not have air conditioning, and the historic building's three- year, $10 million renovation will stretch into next year.

Timothy J. Moynihan, president of the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce, is one of a number of local government and business leaders who say they've been impressed by the quality of the Broadway-style production and its backers.

But Moynihan said he, too, wants to know more about the financial contribution the show would require from government or corporate sources before he counts on it coming to Hartford.

``If you told me that number was $10 million, instead of $1 million or a half a million dollars, I'd be considerably less enthusiastic,'' he said.

``Mark Twain -- The Musical!'' opened in Elmira in 1987, and producers of the nonprofit production say it has tapped out its audience in upstate New York. Attendance went from an all- time high of 55,000 at 100 performances in 1987 to 32,500 at 64 performances during eight weeks last year.

Perry believes that Hartford, with its strong connections to Twain and its proximity to major population centers of New York and Boston, could be fertile new ground for the show. The producer said he is confident enough that the musical and Hartford would prove a potent lure for foreign tourists that he is traveling to London in the next few weeks to begin selling tour operators on the show and Hartford as a travel destination.

So far, the effort to bring the show to Hartford ``is very effortless and smooth-going, and I just think it looks very, very promising,'' Perry said this week. Previously, the show had been considering as possible new sites Buffalo, N.Y., and other cities where Twain once lived.

Perry said he expects to make an announcement about the third week of October on where the show will hold its 1996 season, running from July 2 to Sept. 1.

During several visits to Hartford, the Mark Twain show producers looked at a number of possible venues, including the G.Fox and Sage-Allen buildings on Main Street, and the now- closed Hartford Jai-Alai fronton on Weston Street.

But the armory, with its high ceiling, proved to have the best possibility to accommodate the show's tall Mississippi River steamboat and other props. The show occupies 31,000 square feet of performance space on one level, Perry said.

The state-owned armory, headquarters of the Connecticut National Guard, has housed antique shows and events such as the governor's inaugural ball, but it has never hosted a single event that has run for a full summer, said Capt. John T. Wiltse, a spokesman for the National Guard.

The Mark Twain show producers have spoken to Maj. Gen. David W. Gay, state adjutant general.